Sexual offences in England and Wales have had a dramatic reimagining in the last 15 years, with the Sexual Offences Act 2003 establishing not only the boundaries of the most heinous of offences such as rape, but also defining one of the most important elements; consent. This article seeks to explore the problems that surround establishing if legally valid consent has been given, with particular regard for cases where voluntary intoxication takes centre stage. The problem that often arises is the question on whether or not an intoxicated victim had the capacity to consent, or establishing if she did consent when memory of the event is hazy, possibly from both parties. Using comparative analysis with other jurisdictions and their take on the offence of rape, the author seeks to discover if the current rules are sufficient to fit within twenty-first century western culture. The victim will be referred to as ‘she’, although the law here and all situations discussed are equally applicable to male rape.

中文翻译：

---

寻找平衡：醉酒和同意

在过去的 15 年里，英格兰和威尔士的性犯罪发生了戏剧性的重新构想，2003 年的《性犯罪法》不仅确定了强奸等最令人发指的犯罪的界限，而且还定义了最重要的要素之一；同意。本文旨在探讨围绕确定是否已给予合法有效同意的问题，特别是在自愿醉酒处于中心位置的情况下。经常出现的问题是醉酒的受害者是否有能力表示同意，或者在事件记忆模糊时确定她是否同意，可能来自双方。使用与其他司法管辖区的比较分析及其对强奸罪的看法，作者试图发现当前的规则是否足以适应二十一世纪的西方文化。受害者将被称为“她”，尽管这里的法律和所有讨论的情况同样适用于男性强奸。